Isaiah 40:4

Isaiah 40:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
• New International Version (NIV)Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;

Context of Isaiah 40:4

2Speak kindly to the people in Jerusalem. Tell them that their time of trouble has now finished. Their punishment has been enough. The Lord has made them pay for their sins. He has made them pay twice.’ 3Somebody's voice is shouting, ‘Prepare a way in the wilderness for the Lord. Make a straight road in the desert for our God. Raise up every valley, and bring down every mountain and hill. The rough ground and the ground that has rocks will become flat. 5Then the great glory of the Lord will appear! All people will see it at the same time. The Lord himself has promised this.’ 6A voice is saying, ‘Shout!’ But I say, ‘What should I shout?’ ‘Shout that all people are like grass. Their promises are like the flowers in a field.

Isaiah 40:4 word by word

כָּל־גֶּיא֙ יִנָּשֵׂ֔א וְכָל־הַ֥ר וְגִבְעָ֖ה יִשְׁפָּ֑לוּ וְהָיָ֤ה הֶֽעָקֹב֙ לְמִישׁ֔וֹר וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים לְבִקְעָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Every valleyגַּיְאgay' gay · valleyH1516
• shall be exaltedנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
• and every mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• and hillגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · hillH1389
• shall be made lowשָׁפֵלshâphêl · to abaseH8213
• and the crookedעָקֹב‛âqôb · steepH6121
• shall be made straightמִישׁוֹרmîyshôr mîyshôr · plainH4334
• and the rough placesרֶ֫כֶסrekes · roughnessH7406
• plainבִּקְעָהbiq‛âh · valleyH1237

Cross-references for Isaiah 40:4

• Isaiah 42:11People who live in the towns of the desert should shout aloud to praise him. Kedar's people should praise him in the places where they live. The people who live in Sela should sing aloud with joy. They should shout from the tops of the mountains.
• 1 Samuel 2:8He raises up weak people from the ground. He lifts poor people up out of the dirt. He makes them become friends of princes. He puts them in places of honour. The deep places of the earth belong to the Lord. He built the world on a strong foundation.
• Psalms 113:7He lifts poor people out of the dirt. And he lifts up weak people from the ashes.
• Ezekiel 17:24Then all the trees of the forest will know that I am the Lord. I cause tall trees to fall down. I cause small trees to grow tall. I cause green trees to become dry. I cause dry trees to make fresh leaves. I, the Lord, have said this and I will surely do it.” ’
• Ezekiel 21:26This is what the Almighty Lord says: Take off the special cloth from the king's head. Remove his crown! Everything will change! Give honour to humble people! Make proud people ashamed!
• Luke 1:52Some people were ruling countries. But he has taken their power away from them. He has given power to people who do not feel important.
• Luke 3:5Fill in every valley and make every mountain and hill flat. Take away every bend so that the road is straight. Take away all the rocks so that the road is flat.
• Luke 18:14Jesus then said, ‘Let me tell you about these men when they went home. The man that took taxes from people was now right with God. But the Pharisee was still guilty. Some people lift themselves up to be important. But God will bring all of them down low. Other people are humble. God will lift up those people to a good place.’
• Isaiah 2:12Yes! The Lord Almighty will choose his great day. On that day, he will judge all the proud people who think that they are great. He will bring them all down very low.
• Job 40:11Show everyone your great anger! Look at all the people who like to boast and bring them down low!
• Isaiah 42:16I will lead my blind people along ways that they did not know before. I will be their guide, as they walk along paths that are new to them. I will change the dark places that are in front of them, so that they become places with light. And I will cause the rough ground to become flat. Those are the things that I will do for them. I will not leave my people alone.
• Isaiah 45:2I will go in front of you, and I will make the mountains flat. I will break bronze gates into pieces, and I will cut through iron bars.
• Proverbs 2:15They only do wrong things. They are always deceiving others.

Commentaries on Isaiah 40:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Crooked - The word עקב akob is very generally rendered crooked: but this sense of the word seems not to be supported by any good authority. Ludolphus, Comment. ad Hist. Aethiop. p. 206, says "that in the Ethiopia language it signifies clivus, locus editus:" and so the Syriac Version renders it in this place, ערמא arama : Hebrew, ערמה aramah, tumulus, acervus. Thus the parallelism would be more perfect:" the hilly country shall be made level, and the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Every valley shall be exalted - That is, every valley, or low piece of ground, shall be filled up so as to make a level highway, as was done in order to facilitate the march of armies. This verse is evidently designed to explain what is intended in Isaiah 40:3, by preparing the way for Yahweh. Applied to the return of the Jews from Babylon, it means simply that the impassable valleys were to be filled up so as to make a level road for their journey. If…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-5There is now a shift from announcing the good news to expecting God's arrival. The good news (Isaiah 40:1–2) is based on God himself. Isaiah described the Lord as coming on a highway through the desert (see Isaiah 35). However, the imagery is reversed here: In Isaiah 35, the people traveled to Zion, toward the Lord. Here, the Lord is coming toward his people (see also Isaiah 52:8, where both images are combined).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Eastern monarchs send heralds before them in a journey to clear away obstacles, make causeways over valleys, and level hills. So John's duty was to bring back the people to obedience to the law and to remove all self-confidence, pride in national privileges, hypocrisy, and irreligion, so that they should be ready for His coming (Mal 4:6; Lu 1:17). crooked--declivities.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 40:4

• Church
• Gentiles
• Highways
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select
• Straight

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Carry
• Cry
• Feed
• Plain
• Renew
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah (2)
• John, Gospel of
• Leviticus

Commentaries on Isaiah 40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings